Marion Cotillard is the darling of France. Beating out thousands of applicants for the lead role in “La vie en rose” (a biopic of Edith Piaf), Cotillard satisfied the most discerning cinema fans on earth with her jaw-droppingly dedicated portrayal of the legendary, drug-addled French singer, earning her a mountain of accolades along the way. Cotillard has been nominated for an Oscar for the performance, with many predicting that she will upset frontrunner Julie Christie (“Away from Her”) for the big prize on February 24, 2008.
Cotillard first came to prominence in her native France in Luc Besson’s hit 1998 action film “Taxi.” She also appeared in the film’s two sequels, and impressed critics with head-turning performances in “Les jolies choses,” “Innocence,” and “Jeux d’enfants.” Her first international appearance came with Tim Burton’s 2003 drama “Big Fish,” which starred Billy Crudup, Ewan McGregor, and Alison Lohman. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement” gave her further exposure, and after another two years of French productions she played Russell Crowe’s love interest in Ridley Scott’s sweet if unsubstantial romantic comedy “A Good Year,” which flopped at the U.S. box office in 2006. This was all just a primer for the “La vie en rose” explosion, which has lifted her to the highest ranks of actresses on the international stage. She will next appear in Rob Marshall’s ambitious adaptation of the 80s musical “Nine,” which is loosely based on Federico Fellini’s “8 ½” and stars Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, and Sophia Loren.
What heights can Cotillard reach? It’s been notoriously difficult in the past for French actresses – even the most successful – to make it big in Hollywood, primarily because the American accent is absurdly difficult to wield for native French speakers, much more than for German, British, or Italian thesps. Rumor has it that Cotillard is enduring American-English ‘boot camp’ to master it; this is of course when she’s not spending time with her French superstar boyfriend Guillaume Canet, who is without a doubt one of the sexiest men on the planet.